I don't mean to talk out of school....but I'm getting irritated with some of my fellow students. Our first clinical assignments were to do total patient care, and for the first two week, as far as I was concerned it was all good.(then again, as a newby to all of this I was so engrossed with learning everything I didn't pay attention to any of the others in clinicals.) When we all had to switch patients, most of us made a concientious effort to learn their likes and dislikes and to give the care that was required of us. Perhaps I expected to much from my replacement, but my pt. was a coherent parkinson's patient that had parkinson freezes but was able to enjoy conversations and mobility. He was in the feeder room at the LTC facility we were at, and all he needed was set up assist and he was fine unless he had a freeze. well, the first day we switched and I was in another room, I walked by and he was in a freeze and they were ignoring him, and when I mentioned something they said they couldn't get him to respond, it took all of thrity seconds to say his name, hold his hand and talk to him for him to respond.....okay, well....later on, the nursing student explained that she wasn't there to do the cna's job and so she didn't have to change him, toilet him or do anything for him, that was the cna's job and she was just going to go in and do the assessment sheet the teacher gave us. The next day, she sat in the conference room and said let the cna deal with him (even tho he was her assigned patient for the day) and was left for breakfast and lunch sitting at the table with no bib or food, until someone else went to go get it for him. The nurse on duty asked her to feed two patients, one after another, and she gave attitude. True, she has to write an apology letter for them when we go in tomorrow, but she is saying she shouldn't have to write because she is saying it wasn't her responsiblity to feed all the patients!. Yet she gets a sat for her clinical experience in the professors eyes? Do all nursing students realize that we are dealing with real people, with real emotions that are trapped there and just looking for help and compassion? I was already made fun of for bringing batteries to that pt. b/c he was into electronics and had tons of gadgets, and he used an electric toothbrush that was always out of batteries, as well as the DaVinci Code book, because he's written tons of his own that have been published and seems to be hungry for some kind of stimulation. Thanks for allowing me my free flowing vent. next time I promise to have more structure : )
Im sure if you asked those students why they wanted to be nurses they wouldnt even know the answer. It seems like you have the compassion that will make you an excellent nurse:) good luck!
its a pet peeve of mine to see people saying that its not my job ........a nurses job is not to diagnose yes but it is his or her job to care for your pt for both physically, emotionally, and spirtual needs. If i go in to see my pt and they are soiled and i dont have a code or extreme emergency i change them and if i need help changing them i get the cna.....i dont leave the room and tell someone else to do it.....that takes more time to do thast then to do it myself......i also bathe my pt that i can tell really need it....alot of the cna only use wipes to bath but some people need a good old fashioned bucket of hot soapy water and i do it i save it for a time i know im not busy and i do it myself and sometimes ask for some help......a nurses job is not just to dish out meds and write notes its to care and i think alot of nurses forget that....and if a nursing student starts out with that attitude already that they are above toileting and bathing than i feel sorry for them and their future patients......keep doing what ure doing and being concientious to all of your pt needs.....you sound like your going to be a wonderful nurse!!!!
No, not all nursing students realize that they are dealing with real people. There are some nursing students who are very judgmental of their fellow students and others. Doing good deeds for patients are not trophies to be displayed and expect praise for. That's arrogance.
Ack! I wasn't talking about what I brought to try and hold up myself for some kind of trophy, I was just venting. Sorry, if it came across that way. Thanks for all the input from everyone.
GrnHonu99, RN
1,459 Posts
Im sure if you asked those students why they wanted to be nurses they wouldnt even know the answer. It seems like you have the compassion that will make you an excellent nurse:) good luck!